diff --git a/hugolib/page.go b/hugolib/page.go
index 8daf73af1..192ec63b1 100644
--- a/hugolib/page.go
+++ b/hugolib/page.go
@@ -90,8 +90,7 @@ func newPage(filename string) *Page {
 	page := Page{contentType: "",
 		File:   File{FileName: filename, Extension: "html"},
 		Node:   Node{Keywords: make([]string, 10, 30)},
-		Params: make(map[string]interface{}),
-		Markup: "md"}
+		Params: make(map[string]interface{})}
 	page.Date, _ = time.Parse("20060102", "20080101")
 	page.guessSection()
 	return &page
@@ -361,6 +360,18 @@ func (p *Page) ExecuteTemplate(layout string) *bytes.Buffer {
 	return buffer
 }
 
+func (page *Page) guessMarkupType() string {
+	if page.Markup != "" {
+		return page.Markup
+	}
+
+	if strings.HasSuffix(page.FileName, ".md") {
+		return "md"
+	}
+
+	return "unknown"
+}
+
 func (page *Page) parse(reader io.Reader) error {
 	p, err := parser.ReadFrom(reader)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -383,11 +394,15 @@ func (page *Page) parse(reader io.Reader) error {
 		}
 	}
 
-	switch page.Markup {
-	case "md":
+	switch page.guessMarkupType() {
+	case "md", "markdown", "mdown":
 		page.convertMarkdown(bytes.NewReader(p.Content()))
 	case "rst":
 		page.convertRestructuredText(bytes.NewReader(p.Content()))
+	case "html":
+		fallthrough
+	default:
+		page.Content = template.HTML(p.Content())
 	}
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/hugolib/page_test.go b/hugolib/page_test.go
index c82ee59f7..d16d7f071 100644
--- a/hugolib/page_test.go
+++ b/hugolib/page_test.go
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ func checkPageDate(t *testing.T, page *Page, time time.Time) {
 }
 
 func TestCreateNewPage(t *testing.T) {
-	p, err := ReadFrom(strings.NewReader(SIMPLE_PAGE), "simple")
+	p, err := ReadFrom(strings.NewReader(SIMPLE_PAGE), "simple.md")
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Unable to create a page with frontmatter and body content: %s", err)
 	}
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ func TestCreateNewPage(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestPageWithDelimiter(t *testing.T) {
-	p, err := ReadFrom(strings.NewReader(SIMPLE_PAGE_WITH_SUMMARY_DELIMITER), "simple")
+	p, err := ReadFrom(strings.NewReader(SIMPLE_PAGE_WITH_SUMMARY_DELIMITER), "simple.md")
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Unable to create a page with frontmatter and body content: %s", err)
 	}
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ func TestPageWithDelimiter(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestPageWithMoreTag(t *testing.T) {
-	p, err := ReadFrom(strings.NewReader(SIMPLE_PAGE_WITH_SUMMARY_DELIMITER_SAME_LINE), "simple")
+	p, err := ReadFrom(strings.NewReader(SIMPLE_PAGE_WITH_SUMMARY_DELIMITER_SAME_LINE), "simple.md")
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Unable to create a page with frontmatter and body content: %s", err)
 	}
diff --git a/hugolib/planner.go b/hugolib/planner.go
index 88d5dee7a..e8b03bb5a 100644
--- a/hugolib/planner.go
+++ b/hugolib/planner.go
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ func (s *Site) ShowPlan(out io.Writer) (err error) {
 			fmt.Fprintf(out, " (renderer: n/a)")
 		}
 		if s.Tmpl != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(out, " (layout: %s, exists: %t)", p.Layout(), s.Tmpl.Lookup(p.Layout()) != nil)
-	}
+			fmt.Fprintf(out, " (layout: %s, exists: %t)", p.Layout(), s.Tmpl.Lookup(p.Layout()) != nil)
+		}
 		fmt.Fprintf(out, "\n")
 		fmt.Fprintf(out, " canonical => ")
 		if s.Target == nil {
diff --git a/hugolib/site.go b/hugolib/site.go
index 2c8165543..d5bc400f2 100644
--- a/hugolib/site.go
+++ b/hugolib/site.go
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ func (s *Site) setUrlPath(p *Page) error {
 	x := strings.Split(y, "/")
 
 	if len(x) <= 1 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("Zero length page name")
+		return fmt.Errorf("Zero length page name.  filename: %s", y)
 	}
 
 	p.Section = strings.Trim(x[1], "/")
@@ -400,9 +400,21 @@ func (s *Site) RenderAliases() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (s *Site) RenderPages() error {
+func (s *Site) RenderPages() (err error) {
 	for _, p := range s.Pages {
-		content, err := s.RenderThingOrDefault(p, p.Layout(), "_default/single.html")
+		var layout string
+
+		if !p.IsRenderable() {
+			layout = "__" + p.FileName
+			_, err := s.Tmpl.New(layout).Parse(string(p.Content))
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+		} else {
+			layout = p.Layout()
+		}
+
+		content, err := s.RenderThingOrDefault(p, layout, "_default/single.html")
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/hugolib/site_test.go b/hugolib/site_test.go
index 6ae76e7c0..5d74c911e 100644
--- a/hugolib/site_test.go
+++ b/hugolib/site_test.go
@@ -188,6 +188,63 @@ func TestSetOutFile(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestSkipRender(t *testing.T) {
+	files := make(map[string][]byte)
+	target := &InMemoryTarget{files: files}
+	sources := []byteSource{
+		{"sect/doc1.html", []byte("---\nmarkup: markdown\n---\n# title\nsome *content*")},
+		{"sect/doc2.html", []byte("<!doctype html><html><body>more content</body></html>")},
+		{"sect/doc3.md", []byte("# doc3\n*some* content")},
+		{"sect/doc4.md", []byte("---\ntitle: doc4\n---\n# doc4\n*some content*")},
+		{"sect/doc5.html", []byte("<!doctype html><html>{{ template \"head\" }}<body>body5</body></html>")},
+	}
+
+	s := &Site{
+		Target: target,
+		Config: Config{BaseUrl: "http://auth/bub/"},
+		Source: &inMemorySource{sources},
+	}
+	s.initializeSiteInfo()
+	s.prepTemplates()
+
+	must(s.addTemplate("_default/single.html", "{{.Content}}"))
+	must(s.addTemplate("head", "<head><script src=\"script.js\"></script></head>"))
+
+	if err := s.CreatePages(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unable to create pages: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	if err := s.BuildSiteMeta(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unable to build site metadata: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	if err := s.RenderPages(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unable to render pages. %s", err)
+	}
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		doc      string
+		expected string
+	}{
+		{"sect/doc1.html", "<html><head></head><body><h1>title</h1>\n\n<p>some <em>content</em></p>\n</body></html>"},
+		{"sect/doc2.html", "<!DOCTYPE html><html><head></head><body>more content</body></html>"},
+		{"sect/doc3.html", "<html><head></head><body><h1>doc3</h1>\n\n<p><em>some</em> content</p>\n</body></html>"},
+		{"sect/doc4.html", "<html><head></head><body><h1>doc4</h1>\n\n<p><em>some content</em></p>\n</body></html>"},
+		{"sect/doc5.html", "<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><script src=\"http://auth/bub/script.js\"></script></head><body>body5</body></html>"},
+	}
+
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		content, ok := target.files[test.doc]
+		if !ok {
+			t.Fatalf("Did not find %s in target. %v", test.doc, target.files)
+		}
+
+		if !bytes.Equal(content, []byte(test.expected)) {
+			t.Errorf("%s content expected:\n%q\ngot:\n%q", test.doc, test.expected, string(content))
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestAbsUrlify(t *testing.T) {
 	files := make(map[string][]byte)
 	target := &InMemoryTarget{files: files}
@@ -219,6 +276,6 @@ func TestAbsUrlify(t *testing.T) {
 
 	expected := "<html><head></head><body><a href=\"http://auth/bub/foobar.jpg\">Going</a></body></html>"
 	if string(content) != expected {
-		t.Errorf("Expected: %q, got: %q", expected, string(content))
+		t.Errorf("AbsUrlify content expected:\n%q\ngot\n%q", expected, string(content))
 	}
 }